Yotsuba&!, Vol. 01
by Kiyohiko Azuma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An absolutely adorable story about a preschooler named Yotsuba who approaches life with joy and wonder. I have read this (and other available volumes in this series) more than a dozen times and laugh just as heartily each time. I unabashedly recommend this series to anyone who will give manga a chance. Sensitive, Charming, Innocent, Adorable and absolutely Hilarious!
B.O.D.Y., Volume 1
by Ao Mimori
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sakura, a typical high school girl has her ideal boy in mind (and in sight); the silent, serious, studious and cute Fuji. But when she discovers he’s anything but her ideal, what will become of their relationship?
A typical high school romantic shoujo manga. The art is a bit generic and uneven and I find the story a bit tiring. Not to say it isn’t a fun read, but I would suggest there are more interesting titles out there. If you’re new to the genre or you can’t get enough of ‘Shojo Beat’ stories, then this probably won’t disappoint.
Honey and Clover, Vol. 1
by Chica Umino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In this volume Umino is only barely scratching the surface of what these characters can be. It will be difficult to pull the chaotic ‘gags’ together into a neatly drawn ‘romantic’comedy which I believe she is headed toward. I get the feeling that she’s just testing her material before she makes a gigantic decision about her plot (which could really go anywhere at this point).
It is my experience that leads me to believe that many of the problems I have with this title will disappear by the third volume. I have high hopes for this manga—and I’m really looking forward to see how Umino is going to pull it all off.
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Last year I began reading Charlotte Bronte`s work with her novel, “The Professor“ and enjoyed it so much I decided that I’m going to try and read the rest of her novels year.
I actually picked up Jane Eyre thinking I was going to be reading the story Persuasion by Jane Austen. I didn’t realize until almost a 1/4 of the way through that I was reading Jane Eyre. It was pretty funny because the entire beginning of the book, I was thinking about how great it was, and how disappointed I was that it wasn’t in the movie (which I had watched recently). Now I know why…
I’m such an idiot!
Anyways, there isn’t a lot to say about this book that hasn’t been said before. What I liked best about this novel (apart from the witty dialogue, the passionate romance, and the intrigue) was how perfectly Charlotte Bronte was at capturing a personality; adapting it to both the child and later to the adult Jane Eyre. Often, I feel, the author seems to use the childhood or back story as a means to progress the story; but here it is simply used to capture the essence of a person. It’s sublime!
It has easily become one of my favourite novels — and I’m sure to be reading it again… and again…and again… Plus there’s a fairly extensive list of bibliographical resources that are mentioned in the novel — I hope to read a bunch of those as well.
Sweet Rein, Vol. 1
by Sakura Tsukuba
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This appears to be a typical Tsukuba story. Sweet, kind characters, Cute drawings, and a light airy fantasy.
I suspect the subject matter of a teenage Santa Clause and her transforming reindeer will strike Western audiences as strange (to say the least). I think we are used to seeing the traditions of this story manipulated, but not broken to the extent that this one does. But, this is the exact reason why I personally found this story enjoyable. There’s enough disassociation from the original stories that allowed me to “buy into” the fantasy — and enough elements remaining that the story was “fun” to read.
It is definitely going on my annual Christmas Reading list.
Cipher, Volume 1
by Minako Narita
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series discusses the emotional trauma that occurs between two brothers, when life finally gets too far, and they need to begin healing their broken character. This story focuses almost entirely on the development of the Cipher & Siva characters and their relationship with each other and the people that matter to them. The story has a strong progression which neither gets tired or tiresome, and it resolves itself in a very satisfying way. This can’t be said for most manga series.
One unique thing about this series is that it is originally set in America (primarily New York), starring Americans! Almost invariably the setting is Japan, and sometimes Korea, with the occasional school trip to the USA and Canada. And when Americans are represented in manga they generally appear as a vehicle for comedy. This is a very kind (and generally non-stereotypical) portrayal and I think it must attest to the author’s own interest and love of the country!
The only negative I have to say about it, does not in fact relate to the story or composition, but to the actual mechanics of the translation. And that is, the text in the first volume attempts to fill the Japanese shaped speech bubbles too closely. With Japanese text, it is often read and written vertically top to bottom and left to right — which is the same pattern that you use to read each frame in the manga. While English text is read and written horizontally from right to left. In this translation, the translator (or someone) decided to try to conform the English text to the Japanese bubbles by writing it vertically (one letter above the other) and written from right to left. However, when attempting to read each panel in correct order, one automatically assumes the correct reading order to be left to right which would create greater continuity — so almost every bubble I read in the wrong direction. It was an obvious over site by the editor and was corrected for the second volume, but it still causes me a lot of headaches — as I read this series several times a year.
This is one of my top 10 favourite manga! Highly highly recommended.
Wild Act, Volume 1
by Rie Takada
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yuniko the daughter of a famous movie star (who currently suffers from amnesia) is a thief. However, she only steals items that used to belong to the late movie star, Akira Nanae. On her most recent heist she must defeat an up-and-coming movie star Ryu Eba. Yuniko finds herself falling for the charming actor; even though she’s devoted her heart to the deceased Nanae.
Wild act is a menagerie of love triangles, scandal, action, adventure, intrigue and mistaken identities. The plot does get a bit convoluted or repetitive (like a Soap-Opera); but because of the cute and upbeat main character, it doesn’t get tiresome. Takada draws delightful characters and is never without ‘cool’ boys and ‘cute’ girls.
This is a relatively long series of 10 volumes, so if you’re still not sure if you should try it, I recommend starting with Takada’s 3 volume manga “Punch!”. It contains a completely different storyline, but contains Takada’s trademark comedy, and a plethora of ‘cool’ boys and ‘cute’ girls.
Doubt!!, Vol. 1
by Kaneyoshi Izumi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ai Maekawa is tired of being plain and unpopular, and spends the entire summer between Jr. & Sr. high improving her outer appearance. At a new school, and with a completely new look she is instantly beautiful and popular and best friends with the two best boys in school. Although, as a former “jimi” she is still learning the “ropes” of what it means to be popular – resulting in a number of misguided incidents.
This isn’t my favourite series as it progresses, but I love how Kaneyoshi has written a complicated female lead having both the plain and the popular in her. She becomes an intense and unstable personality which I find both charming and entertaining.
From Far Away, Vol. 01
by Kyoko Hikawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
18 year Japanese student Noriko Takichi is transported to an alternate reality where she appears as “the awakening” the force that will awaken the destructive “sky demon”. Seers of the world are aware of her presence, and she must hide it in order to protect herself. Everyone is looking for her as the person who controls the “Sky demon” will control the world.
I give this series a high rating of 4 out of 5 stars. There are some serious flaws with the story and more particularly with the translation but it is still highly entertaining.
This is a typical Japanese girl transported to another world for some sacrificial/spiritual purpose where she is protected and loved by a powerful character (Izark) who usually is the key to the action; think “Vision of Escaflowne”, “Fushigi Yugi”, or “Red River”. Noriko fits the typical heroine profile of these series, a typical high school girl who tries her best, wanting to help, and finding the small things that she can do.
The most unique difference from other series of the genre is that Noriko can’t speak the language of this new world. In any other series I’ve read, the different language is explained away by “eating the food”, “kissing the guy”, or “obtaining a magical item”… or it isn’t explained at all. In this series however, she is unable to communicate — it is the first thing she can do to improve her situation — learn the language. I’m particularly impressed with Hikawa’s speech bubbles which help the reader to distinguish what language is being spoken when.
The translation of this episode, and the series in general is a bit of a miss for me. It is an older series (which often explains poor translation planning). It has the feeling that whoever translated was more interested in getting a “direct” or accurate translation, rather than creating an adaptation that would be more fluid and understandable in English.
For example, when they (Noriko and Izark) come across the travelling merchant who was attacked by bandits, he is laying in the grass calling out “here, here”… 2 pages later when Izark hands him a bottle of water, the merchant says “koko” and Noriko says to herself, “oh, koko means water”. If you didn’t have some Japanese background, you might not get the connection between these two situations. Koko means Here. So, he wasn’t saying “here, here” he was saying “water, water”. It’s situations like these that take away from the flow of the story. And, if I hadn’t reread this series in succession I might have missed it.
And don’t get me started when Noriko uses the words “Hella fast” and “Hecka cool”. They are so out of place in this comic, it’s not even funny…
Over the Rainbow
by Keiko Honda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story is nice, and definitely keeps the pace of a Honda Keiko manga. The art is airy & beautiful. I believe my only concern is the translation.
There are some understandable translation hiccups. Also, the moment that the protagonist remembers who she is there is a confusing change of pace as though several chapters were cut from the story.
But still, not that bad considering it is a one-shot (which doesn’t normally allow for much explanation). And it is an early translation at the beginning of the boom of manga popularity in the West (which are frequently found riddled with translation issues).
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